the government reported 350,000 americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. that's down 12,000 from the week before. the four-week average of 356,000 is the lowest in nearly five years. and there are signs that companies are beginning to step up their hiring. american airlines is one of them. it's being flooded with applications. we asked mark strassmann to tell us about the people applying right now for work. >> reporter: american airlines announced in october it was hiring 1,500 new flight attendants. 20,000 applicants responded-- so many, american stopped taking resumes after eight days. these candidates had to pass a telephone interview before being invited this month to the airline's world headquarters in fort worth. ( applause ) >> i was unemployed for over a year. >> reporter: yoon eom is 25, a college grad and a new u.s. citizen, but in this room, she had a competitive edge-- she speaks english, spanish and her native korean. >> they're launching a direct flight to korea starting in may, and i was like, "oh, my gosh. this is my only chance!" >> report